> Having grown up in the church and attending a Christian university
Out of curiosity, Catholic or Protestant?
Out of curiosity, Catholic or Protestant?
> By and large, Christians are extremely anti-intellectual and hostile to research into the origins of the Bible as they believe the Bible is divinely inspired. Some even go so far as to talk about literal possession of the Bible authors by the Holy Spirit.
At least in the catholic world, the history of biblical studies is very much tied to philology and philosophy. For example, pretty much no one in the catholic clergy will look at creation as a description of real facts, because the genre is not that of a historically accurate description. The idea is that any tool is good if it helps taking more out of what was purportedly inspired by the divine.
After I finished my BA in English, I considered going for a MA in Catholic Studies because it offered an opportunity to study Philosophy, Theology, and Literature in a way that was fascinating to me, but by that time my faith had withered and died.
> Right, which is probably part of why most Evangelicals think Catholics aren't Christian.
Someone who thinks most Christians are not Christians (even more so historically) and their own traditions and scriptures were passed on to them by people who are not Christians are rather undermining their own claim to be Christians.
At least they are honest about their beliefs, as odd as they are.
Also look what the catholic church does in Africa. They are NOT reformed.